Rowboat attachment



June 16, 1942. M. L. KN-APP ROWBOAT ATTACHMENT Filed March 10, 1941 Maw/v L. KN/JPP.

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Patented June 16, 1942 i UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE ROWBOAT' ATTACHDIENT Merton L. Knapp, Valparaiso, Ind. 7 Application March 10, 1941, Serial No. 382,531

6 Claims. (Cl. l1528) My invention relates to improvements in row boat attachments and it more especially consists of the features pointed out in the annexed claims.

The purpose of my invention is to provide an attachment for row boats as a substitute for the ordinary oars which are frequently lost or broken; that provides a relatively permanent attached mechanism for hand rowing; that provides various adjustments to adapt the rowing mechanism to different conditions and that utilizes a free and easy natural movement of the mechanismwhich is unique in this art.

With these and other ends in view I illustrate in the accompanying drawing such instances of adaptation as will disclose the broad underlying features of the invention without limiting myself to the details shown thereon and described herein.

Fig. l is a top plan view of my assembled device.

Fig. 2 is a reduced scale side elevation partly in section of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a rear elevation of Fig. 2 with the de vice detached from its support.

Fig. 4 is a side elevation on an enlarged scale of a U-bolt adjustment and the hinge on which the blades are pivoted.

Fig. 5 is a top plan of a lower adjusting plate for the vertical support.

Fig. 6 is a top plan of a plate for limiting the movement of the vertical support.

Fig. 7 is an elevation partlyin section of portions of the cross arm handle bar and a pin limiting the movement of the rowing blades downward to the right or downward to the'left.

Fig. 8 is a plan view of Fig. 7 partly in section.

Fig. 9 is a. modification of Fig. 1.

Fig. 10 is a further modification of Fig. 1.

In the actual use of my invention I may use whatever alternatives or equivalents of related structure that the exigencies of varying conditions may demand without departing from the broad spirit of the invention.

My device may be attached to a boat near its prow as shown in Fig. 2. It is supported to swing on a horizontal plane around the vertical axis of a tubular support 5 which is positioned in an upper cross board 3 and lower cross board 4. These boards are located near the bow I of the boat and they are positioned between the bow and the seat 2.

The rod 5 above the cross board 3 is bent forward at 6. It is held in place vertically on the boards 3 and 4 by a limit arm 23, shown in Fig. 6 fastened to the stem 5 and resting on the board 3. The lower end of the tube 5 passes through a plate 21 on the board 4. This plate has slots 28 through which bolts 29 pass. By moving the plate 21 crosswise of the board the rod 5 will be correspondingly shifted so as to bring the blades I3 nearer to or farther away from the water level 36.

The blades I3 are secured in a pivotal manner to a long tube 8. This tube is free to slide through a T l. The T is attached to the bent portion 6 on the rod 5. The position of the tube 8 in the T 'l is limited in two directions. Lengthwise and around the axis of the tube by a pin 2 l, in holes 22 determines the endwise position of the tube 8 and by reason of the pin engaging a recess 20 the rocking of the tube is limited.

The manipulating tube 8 is free to move rotarily in' the T 'l. The extent of this movement is limited by a notch 20 just referred to, shown in Figs. '7 and 8.

The upper end of the tube 8 has a- T "1- to which the cross arm 9 is attached. In effect the cross arm 9 really serves as a handle bar by means of which the blades l3 are dipped into the water either to the right or left as desired as the tube 8 is oscillated in the T l.

The actual pull of the blades in the water is produced by swinging the tube 8, its attached handle bar 9, and the attached blades I3 around the vertical axis of the tube 5, as shown in dotted lines on Fig. 1. Thiswill swing the right hand blade l3 rearward while the other blade out of thewater will move forward.

As soon as the right hand blade l3 has been moved into the position of the dotted lines of the tube 8, below the center of the figure, then in a perfectly natural movement the right hand end of the handle bar 9 is raised and the left hand end lowered which will raise the right hand blade out of the water and drop the left hand blade into the water through the slight rocking of the tube 8 on its axis. Then as soon as the left hand blade is in the water the left hand end of thebar 9 is pulled rearward so as to swing the tube 8 and the left hand blade l3, now in the water, in the direction of the dotted line 34 which will position the tube 3 approximately on the dotted line of the tube 8, above its full-line-position shown in Fig. l.

These movements are repeated as forcefully and as often as desired, that is, the arm 9 is first tilted to the right around the axis of the T l and in consequence the right hand blade will dip into the water. Then quitenaturally the lowered right hand end of the cross arm 9 is pulled rearward. At the end of this stroke of the blade IS the arm 9 is lowered at its left end which lowers the other blade into the water, and the left end of the tilted cross arm is also pulled rearward which also pulls the left hand blade against the water. The sequence of these actions is to first lower the right hand end of the handle bar to its limit, then pull it rearward, then raise it and lower the left hand end of the bar and the other blade and again pull the lowered end of the handle bar rearward. A repetition of these movements will pull the boat forward slow or fast according to the rapidity of the movements. In short it is a movement downward and rearward on the right and a downward and a rearward movement on the left, in a natural rhythm.

To assist in the pulling of handle bar 9 a cross rod II is attached to the rod so that the feet of the rower may be placed against it. When the right hand end of the bar 9 is pulled rearwardly the left hand end of the rod II will be pushed forward by the foot, and vice versa.

The blades l3 are hinged at I2 shown in Figs. 2 and 4. These blades can be swung on the pivot l2 and they are held in a desired position by links M, provided with adjusting holes l5, which holes pass over a pin 16. They may be held on the pin in any conventional manner.

A U-bolt I! shown in Fig. 4 is attached to the tube 8. One leg of the U-bolt forms the pivot of the hinge l2. Adjusting nuts I8 on the upper side of the tube 8 cooperating with adjusting nuts 19 on the under side of the tube are used to tilt the blades more or less up and down, by alternately slacking the diagonally opposite nuts. The extreme lateral movement of the blades i3 and attached tube 8 may be limited as shown in Fig. 6. The arm 23 secured to the tube 5 engages stop pins 24, removably placed, in holes 26 of the plate 25.

In addition to tilting the blades on the tube 8 as shown in Fig. 4, without changing the blades, both the blades and the tube may be tilted downward more or less at its front end by shifting the plate 21 as described above.

In Figs. 9 and I have illustrated two modifications which bring into play the same kind of movements that I have described in relation to Fig. 1. In Fig. 9 instead of a single tube 8 two sets of tubes 38 are joined by a cross 39. The forward end of the tubes 38 have blades 43, which nearer the cross 39 may be joined together. The rearward or handle ends-of the tubes 38 may be cross connected at 42 to produce rigidity. An extension 4!) of the cross projects rearward and it, or a reduced diameter of it, passes through a T 4| similar to the T 1 shown in Fig. 1. The T 4| is supported on a tube 5 and 6 (not shown) as in Fig. 2

The arcs 35 shown in dotted lines on Fig. 1 indicate the path of movement of the extreme ends of handle bar 9 while the arm remains in a horizontal position and the movement-takes place around the vertical center of the tube 5. In Fig. 9 the arrows '44 indicate a movement of the blades 43 to the right and the arrows 45 in dicate a movement of the blades 43 to the left.

The modification shown in Fig. 10 hasa cross arm 32 that is secured to the upper end of a very stiff universal spring 3| which is supported on the bottom board 39. Extra oars 31 may be attachably and detachably secured in the cross arm 32. The right and left and up and down movements of the arm 32 by the hands of the rower are substantially similar to the movements of Figs. 1 and 9.

If desired I may use cords 46 passing beneath pulleys on the upper side edges of the boat to another handle bar at the other end of the boat similar to handle bar 9 supported on a suitable vertical spindle (not shown) similar to tube 5 to enable another person to assist in pulling the blades while in the water but not in the dipping of the blades alternately in the water.

In Fig. 1 the dotted lines 33 indicate the direction of movement of blades l3 when the lines I4 are shifted and the dotted lines 34 as stated above indicate a movement of the blades l3 either to b the right or left around the vertical axis of the tube 5.

The structure shown in Fig. 1 permits the folding of the blades l3 on the hinge I2 rearward along side of the tube 8 by disconnecting the 10 links H from the pin 16, for shipment or storage. Similarly the'structure shown in Fig. 9 can be made foldable by substituting a pivoted arm support (not shown) instead of the cross 39. This will permit the folding of the blades 43 together [5 for shipment or storage by disconnecting one end of the line 42 from its handle. In such an event the extension 40. will be made a part of one half of the pivoted support.

A ba flle plate 4'! may be placed on the tube 8 directly to the rear of the pivot portion of the hinge l2. It extends downward from the tube 8 for about'the depth of the rear edge of the blades [3 and it serves to stop the free flow of waterpastthis point as it moves along the face of a blade while this blade is doing the pulling.

What I claim is:

1. In a row boat attachment, a pair of separate blades adapted to engage the water, a central support for theblades, a relatively horizontal pivot for the support for tilting the blades to the right or left, a relatively vertical projection from beneath said pivot, a bearing for the same, and means comprising a handle bar for swinging the blades right or leftin a horizontal and si multaneously in a downward direction.

2. A row boat attachment which comprises a pair of blades positioned in spaced apart relation, a support in common for both blades, and means for alternately moving the blades downward and simultaneously through irelatively horizontal are around a vertical center.

3. A row boat attachment which comprises a pair of blades adapted to alternately engage the water, a common support for both blades, means 45 for limiting the alternate downward movement of each blade, a vertical pivot for the support, and means for selectively limiting the movement around the center of suchsupport.

4. A row boat attachment comprising a pair of waterengaging blades or oars, meansfor keeping the blades in spaced apart relation, a support for such means, a horizontal pivot for the support, and a vertical pivot therefor.

5. In a .row boat attachment a pair of water engaging blades, means. for holding the blades in spaced apart relation, .a vertical support for said means, a hand extension to said means, a relatively horizontal center comprising a tube, means for rocking the tube on its center to alternately dip :each blade into the water said tube being adjustable lengthwise in the support, and means for separately pivoting the tube for movement. around a vertical axis so as to ialternately permit movement of .the blades in a rearward direction.

6. In a row boat attachment, apair of water engaging blades,.a support in common for the blades, means for hinging the blades to each other, and means for holding the free ends of 7 theblades in desired spaced apart relation subject to being swung rearwardly on said hinge for shipment or storage.

MERTON L. KNAPP. 

